FREE CHURCH PRESBYTERY OF OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 291, 27 June 1857, Page 5

FREE CHURCH PRESBYTERY OF OTAGO.

A meeting of the Presbytery was ■ held in the Schoolhouse, Dunedin, on Wednesday the 24th instant Present— Rev. T; Burns, W. Will, and W. Bannerman, Captain .Cargill, Messrs. Henry Clark, and John -M'Glasham ; <- Commissions appointing .Captain Cargill to represent the Dunedin Kirk Session, and Mr. Henry Clark to represent the Tokomairiro Kirk Session, were read, and the names of those gentlemen were ordered tcr be added to the roll. ' Mr. Burns moved, and Mr. Bannerman seconded, a resolution that the of the Procurator be added to the roll, which was agreed to. The Minutes 'of the former meeting were read and confirmed. 1 „ The proceedings of ja pro re nata meeting, appointing Mr. James Adam a commissioner to the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, were read and confirmed. The Procurator reported that the' Committee appointed to prepare a memorial to the Government relative to the Maori and half-caste population had not prepared the memorial. He explained that tHey had not been enabled to procure such full infdrmation'as they required. He thought" that-buj little good would result from their ' labours unless they werfr able to present a perfect scheme for the consideration, of tbVGovernment. The Committee had prepared a series of queries, which they had , forwarded to two gentlemen with a view to elicit information. Answers had been obtained from the, Resident Magistrate, which were read. The report strongly urged the" necessity of some steps being 1 in the matter, and gave 'an unfavourable \ sketch of the habits and manners of the natives; also suggested the advisability of inducing the erect more suitable residences than they at' present'occupy. For this purpose it proposed ' to layout-villages, which the natives 'would probably erect were the Govern'menf-'to survey the land. .It approved of i the *establisjunent.b'f % an industrial ,6ch66l, : and of the' appointment of a male and fe-

male teacher to give secular and religious instruction. Mr. M'Glashan further stated that the committee were anxious to obtain the answers from the other quarter in which information -had been sought before the Resident Magistrate's report was printed. On the motion of the Procurator^ ih'e.Presbytery approved of the diligence of the committee, and recommended that they carry out the .object of their appointment without delay. • The Moderator, on the part of the Committee appointed to visit the Northern portion of the Province, reported that he had visited that district. He expressed himself as having been very utiwill - ing -to' undertake the duty, and would not have gone, but that otherwise the north would have remained unvisited. On three several occasions the duty had devolved upon him. He was the only representative of the, Presbytery. The Procurator had been unavoidably prevented accompanying him by the .arrival of mails from Auckland. He had been accompanied by Mr. Allan. The reception they Bad met with was kind and favourable. He especially noticed the attention and assistance they had ! receivedfrom Mr. Jones. -He did not consider it'necessary to make a' report in detail. His visit extended as far as Otepopo, and he had preached wherever the people could be assembled. • He would not propose a re-appointment of a committee, i Mr. Burns suggested the appointment of a deputation of laymen, as it was not possible for the ministers to attend without neglecting their charges. The proposition, after some discussion, was abandoned. A committee having been appointed at the last meeting to carry out the request that Port Chalmers should be > erected into a preaching station, and that Church Courts should be established, Mr. Burns reported that the recommendations had been carried out, and that two elders and four deacons had been appointed; and that the station had been visited by Messrs. Will, Hood, and himself. The Moderator drew the attention of the Presbytery to a motion which had been agreed to at the last meeting to purchase a site for a Church and Manse at Invercargill out of the Trust Funds. If the resolution had not been acted upon, he was anxious that the vote should be rescinded. He contended that the Trust Funds were not applicable to the purpose ; they were contributed by the purchasers of land in the Otago Block, and might as well be. expended in the Province of Canterbury as at Invercargill. Captain Cargill remarked that the Funds were for, the use of the Church of Otago, and were' not applicable to any particular part of the Province. Mr. Burns said that many of the original purchasers were now settled at Invercargill. He, however, objected tp the course pursued by the Moderator, as out of order. Notice of such a motion must be given. * The matter was thereupon allowed to drop. The Moderator reported that in accordance with the injunctions of the Presbytery he had pre pared a pastoral letter on the subject of the observation of the Sabbath, which had been printed and circulated. A report having been in circulation that the Clutha Manse had been built upon land the private property of Mr. Bannerman, Mr. Bannerman stated that tfte report was entirely without foundation.' He possessed no land whatever in the Province of Otago. The several Ministers reported that during the ensuing half-year they intended to implement the injunction of the last meeting to have an annual collection on behalf of the Colonial Scheme of the Free Church of Scotland. Mr. Bannerman moved that a sum not exceeding £50, out of the funds in the Treasurer's hands, be applied to liquidate the debt on the Clulha Manse: He stated that his congregations had at their own expense erected four churches within the district, and he thought' they were entitled to assistance from the general fund to the extent asked. Mr. Burns seconded the motion, and remarked that it ~ must be gratifying to, the Presbytery to learn that Mr. Bannerman's congregations had displayed so , much zeal as to < have , erected four churches by -their own unaided, efforts. - The Moderator objected not to the amount required, but to the motion, on the ground that the title deeds of the Glebe l'aiid were not on .the table. He drew the attention of the Presbytery to the unsatisfactory state of tKe titles to the Church properties, and stated that, except for the Taieri Manse, the Presbytery had no proper titles to any of the lands upon which Churches and Manses had .been erected, acquired otherwise, than under the original Otago Terms, of Purchase. , - . Mr. Bannerman jstongly deprecated the pro- 1 ceedings of the Moderator a's likely to ' give con'- ■ firmation to r the report which he (Mr.Bahnerman,), had previously contradicted. '' '' Mr. Burns objected to the proceedings of the' 'Moderator as unreasonable, seeing the, difficulty of procuring titles.' > l ' ,-v ;...»• ; The Moderator did hot wish to> convey such an impression 4>y his remark, but "the- attention of the Presbytery , bad been called three" years since tothe subject of titles to the, Church lands; and he must insist Hipon 'tiie matter receiving at once the attention of thY Presbytery. ' He would 'vote no sum for the purpose of any- erection until the quest^oV'of^titleßwaß'isettled.' ■'- ,'" .r- * \ „ The Procurator was sorry tq see such", a bad spirit; -manifested., in the .discussion ,becau"se..the .Moderaj,qlr,,co.uld' noUget something, 'done fo£ his

district which he thought advisable, he objected to the vote. He" (the Procurator) objected to so important a matter, as was involved in the Moderator's protest, being settled by a side wind. '•'iifr. Ci,arke thought that what had fallen from .the Moderator was deserving of attention. The Tokomairiro congregation were very anxious that the building in their district should be vested in the hands of local trustees in a similar manner to that which existed in the home country.

Captain Cargill expressed himself as delighted to find that the Moderator had brought up the subject in' a way which rendered it impossible for the matter to be got rid of. He, however, wanted something tangible before the Presbytery, and suggested the appointment of a Committee to prepare a model trust deed. If they had not powers under the Deed of Institute, they must apply to the Legislature for powers.

The Moderator defended himself against the charge of acting in a bad spirit. Twelve months since the Procurator had been ordered to procure these titles, and yet no trace of the fact was to be found in the minutes. A long and discursive debate ensued, in the course of which the Procurator noticed the difference of position between the congregations in the home country, who subscribed the funds and acquired properties, and the congregations in Otago, where the property was acquired by a general fund. He was not prepared to recommend the Trustees to hand over the property so acquired to the various local Courts, so that they might, at a future clay, become separate churches. On the other side it was contended no such object was sought to be obtained. Mr. Gillies having been called upon to state the position of the title to the land on which the Tokornairiro Church was built, said that ihe two quarter- acre sections upon which the building stood had been purchased at the late auction by him for the congregation ; the 10 per cent required by the Land Regulations had been paid, and it was for the congregation to pay the balance and receive the title. The following motion was ultimately adopted : — " The Presbytery considering the necessity of having titles to the vaiious Places of Worship and Manses, appoint the following Committee, viz., — the Moderator, Mr. Burns, Mr. M'Glashan, the last to be Convener, to consider the state of the titles of the properties, and' what remedy should be adopted, and if they approve of a model trust deed being prepared, to prepare one accordingly, and report to a meeting of Presbytery to be held in this place on Wednesday the 22nd July, at 12 o'clock." The following^report by the Sustentation Fund Committee was presented by Mr. Gillies, the Convener :—: — The Convener of the Sustentation Fund Committee reported that the following Arrears, due at the close of 'last half-year, have since been paid to the Treasurer, viz. : — Dunedin Congregation £8 0 0 WestTaieri 12 10 0 Clutha 10 0 0 Tokomairiro .' 1 15 0 ■ . £32 5 0 Of this sum there was included in the Dividend paid to the Ministers in December last 3117 0 Balance in Treasurer's hands £0 8 0 Add contributions during the half year by the Dunedin Congregation 130 7 8 The Taieri Congregations — East Taieri .... £56 2 0 West Taieri 18 17 0 Ferry and Waihola 9 5 0 84 4 0 The Tokomairiro and Clutha Congregations — ' Tokomairiro.... £32 4 6 Clutha 28 15 0 60 19 6 275 19 2 Deduct account for printing Committee's Address. 4 5 0 Balance 271 14 2 This balance will afford a Dividend of £90 Us. 4d. for the half-year to each of the Ministers. The Convener stated that the Committee were gratified with this result, inasmuch as, from various causes, only the Dunedin and Tokomairiro Congregations had as yet been visited, as resolved upon i n December last ; but it was hoped that shortly arrangements would be made to visit the districts) and that the result would be 1 a, very considerable increase in the Sustentation Fund ; and the Ministers-were strongly recommended and respectfullyVequested to make arrangements to receive Deputationssfrom the' Committee. - The. meeting .then adjourned, to meet in the evening at half-past,7 o'clock. . , . Agreeable to adjournment, the Presbytery havingjagain met, , The -Moderator withdrew his objection to the vote made by the Presbytery in aid of the liquidation of the debt upon the Cl'uth,a r !Manse. 1 Mr. Bannerman read'a note,' received since the forenoon sederunt, from the Factor to the Church Trustees, intimating the purchase of the Clutha Glebe on the banks of the Poeroa, according' to the desire of the Presbytery. On the motion of Mr. Bannerman, it was .unanimously resolved that the report of the Sustentation Fund , Committee be adopted, that the thanks of the Presbjtery to the Convener and Committee be recorded, and the dividend for the past half year be declared to be £90 lls. 4d. to "each Minister, which the Treasurer was- authorized to pay. - ' \i . ' ; ' ' ' lj The PresbyteryhaVing taken into- consideration -the present state of the Southern part of the Province "as to; the means' of grace rt appointed the Moderator to visit said "part of the Province, and request Mr. Gillies to accompany him. The Moderator laid upon , the table a letter ,-from the Moderator ,bf the Presbytery of Auckland, ,and , also 'minutes of .their proceedings during the first meeting as a Presbytery. It was resolved that the Presbytery remit to the Moderator to prepare a reply and to 1 report- a draft thereof- W the 1 next meeting of Presbytery: . " -The Presbytery appointed that the next' ordinary meeting, .be.held on Wednesday the 22nd July next, at II- o'clock, .fqrenoo'n, which having v teen publicly .^intimated,, ,the "-meeting, was closed < -with prayer, ,v, v " V t ,\'!\~, ' " ?,'-'.<